Shaheen Afridi Ruled Out Of Asia Cup: Mohammad Amir Trends On Twitter, Asks "But Why"

21.08.2022 - 09:23 sports.ndtv.com

Pakistan were given a body blow on Saturday as ace speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi was ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup due to an injury.

The 22-year-old has been advised rest for upcoming 4-6 weeks and hence he would be missing the Asia Cup and home series against England.

After the pacer was ruled out of the Asia Cup, another Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir started trending on Twitter as fans wanted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to name him as Shaheen's replacement.

After seeing his name trending on Twitter, Amir posted a tweet, saying: "M trending on Twitter, but why." m trending on twitter but why There were many fans who commented on Amir's post, asking him to make a return to Pakistan's squad.

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Rohit Sharma played down concerns about India's form ahead of next month's T20 World Cup after successive Asia Cup defeats, insisting the dressing room atmosphere remained "relaxed and chilled". India lost their second Asia Cup Super Four match to Sri Lanka with a ball remaining in Dubai on Tuesday to leave their dwindling final hopes at the mercy of other results. "You don't worry if you lose two matches," Rohit, who smashed a 41-ball 72 in India's 173-8, told reporters. "We don't talk like this in the dressing room, because we have played so many matches after the (last) World Cup and won. I don't think it's a cause of worry."

Asia Cup 2022: Mohammad Nawaz - The man who turned the Super 4 match vs India on its head

Nawaz was sent out to bat at number 8 in the league stage match vs India in the ongoing Asia Cup, which India won. On that occasion he managed to score just 1 off 3 balls. On Sunday though, after Pakistan lost two if their best batters in captain Babar Azam (14) and Fakhar Zaman (15) and with the scoreboard reading 63 for 2 in 8.4 overs, Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and skipper Babar decided to promote the hard-hitting Nawaz up the order. It was a gamble. And it paid off handsomely for Pakistan. The reasoning behind this was to counter the two Indian leggies and Nawaz, who before this match had scored a total of 124 runs in 14 innings, played a knock that turned the match on its head, completely swinging the momentum Pakistan's way. When Nawaz walked out to bat the equation for Pakistan read - 119 needed in 68 deliveries. This was the stage where Rohit Sharma would have liked to really apply the brakes on Pakistan to make sure that the required run rate inched into the realm of the almost impossible. But that's exactly what Nawaz didn't allow the Indian bowlers to do.

"No Bowler From This Group Can Replace Shaheen Afridi": Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan are missing the services of Shaheen Shah Afridi at the ongoing Asia Cup, and wicketkeeper-batter feels that not even a single bowler from the current crop can fill the shoes of the star pacer. Afridi picked up a knee injury during Pakistan's two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which ruled him out of the Asia Cup. While the likes of Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani have performed well so far in the tournament, Rizwan said that filling Afridi's shoes isn't easy.

"Criminal Act": Mohammad Hafeez Slams PCB's Handling Of Injured Shaheen Afridi

One of Pakistan's biggest concerns going into the 2022 T20 World Cup that begins in October is the fitness of star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. The left-arm seamer had sustained a knee injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in July. The injury ruled him out of the second Test against Sri Lanka and subsequent ODI series in Netherlands as well as the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE, even though he accompanied the squad to both the Netherlands as well as UAE. On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed that Shaheen was going to London to undergo further treatment and rehabilitation, with the hope of getting him fit before the World Cup.

Asia Cup 2022, India vs Pakistan: Who will be missed more, Jasprit Bumrah or Shaheen Afridi?

Absence of top pacers has become a talking point leading up to today's gameLike it happens before and after India-Pakistan matches these days, one tweet has triggered a major debate. A few hours after Pakistan's ace fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a knee injury, Pakistan pace bowling great Waqar Younis tweeted: "Shaheen's injury big relief for Indian top order batsmen. Sad we won't be seeing him."

"Can Score Big Runs In Asia Cup": Rashid Khan's Huge Statement On India Star

Afghanistan star all-rounder Rashid Khan hailed India batter Suryakumar Yadav for his versatility. Suryakumar has been in excellent form with the bat, which has seen him rise to the second spot in the latest ICC men's T20I rankings, a list which is currently led by Pakistan captain Babar Azam. India will start their campaign in the multi-nation tournament on August 28 against their arch-rivals Pakistan in a Group A fixtures and the 31-year-old batter is expected to play a huge role if India are to win the tournament.